UConn, Butler took parallel paths to title game

THE FINAL TWO

David Barron, Hearst Newspapers

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, April 3, 2011

Having begun their NCAA Tournament runs 2 1/2 weeks ago at the same Washington, D.C., area hotel, there's a certain symmetry in this most tangled and unpredictable of NCAA Tournaments that Butler and Connecticut, of all people, will be together again Monday night with the national title on the line.

The NCAA's pod system placed the Bulldogs and Huskies at the Verizon Center for their second-round games - Butler in the Southeast bracket, UConn in the West - and Huskies center Alex Oriakhi is as surprised as anyone that they will meet for the championship.

"For us, when you lose four out of five (before beginning their run through the Big East and NCAA tournaments), you don't think about winning a championship," he said. "You're trying to win a game."

That methodical approach has served Butler and Connecticut well in their improbable treks from D.C. to Houston. UConn has the superior historical pedigree, but Butler played arguably the most complete game of Saturday's semifinalists, beating VCU 70-62 in the upstart side of the bracket while Connecticut beat Kentucky 56-55 on the establishment side.

"If anybody would have picked Butler and UConn, a lot of people would have laughed at them," Oriakhi said.

Even though the Huskies squandered a 10-point halftime lead, they survived with major contributions down the stretch by Jeremy Lamb, who had 12 points with nine rebounds, and Shabazz Napier, who atoned for a late turnover with a rebound and the two winning free throws, on a night that Kemba Walker, who had three 30-point games in his previous six outings, was held to 18 with seven assists.

"Connecticut is young, but Kemba has been a great leader and is such a dynamic shot maker and galvanizing force that he can elevate in a one-game situation," said CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg. "You can't take your eyes off him when he's on."

But he wasn't particularly on Saturday night, and so the top performer at Reliant Stadium on this day was Butler guard Shelvin Mack, who had 24 points in 8-for-11 shooting, including five three-pointers on six attempts, and put the Bulldogs on his back at times against VCU.

"Butler's calling card is its ability to defend and be physical," Kellogg said. "They are not just physically tough but tough-minded."

Since Mack and Walker shape up as the focal points for their teams, perhaps it will be someone else who strikes the critical blow Monday night.

"We've got no chance as individuals," said Butler coach Brad Stevens. "As a team, we have a chance. We go from possession to possession, and that is what gives us a chance in every game. Our guys will fight to the end, I promise you that."